Why customers buy trust BEFORE they buy YOUR SERVICE

#entrepreneurship #franchisebusiness #freshcoatpainters #podcast

On the #Built4ProfitPodcast, hosts interview Isabel Calero of  ⁨@FCPJohnsCreekRoswell⁩ about why painting is ultimately a “trust business”. 

Isabel shares her transition from 24 years in corporate roles into entrepreneurship with her husband, Diego, and why franchising offered a focused path to grow. She discusses running a family business with trust, openness to feedback, and balancing customer experience with what was contracted. 

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Website: https://freshcoatpainters.com/locations/johns-creek-roswell/ 
Instagram: /fcpjohnscreekroswell 
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LinkedIn: /fresh-coat-painters-of-johns-creek-roswell/ 

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Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Welcome to the Built for Profit podcast, powered by IQ for profit. Because when you know better, you can do better. One of the things that people underestimate about this line of work is that they think they're in the painting business, but they're really in the trust business. You got people in your home working on your home. Because honestly, when you're like relinquishing that look to someone, you are trusting them with staring at. Yeah. So today we have with us Isabel Calero from Fresh Count Painter, Johns Creek and Roswell. Isabel, welcome to the Built for Profit Podcast. Welcome, Isabel. We joke that sometimes the name is very clear in what the franchise is called. Like there's no secret to what this company does. Is this a blonde joke coming from? No, this is all seriousness. So, Isabel, for anyone listening, give us an overview of the type of work that you do, indoor, outdoor. What are we working with here when we're talking about painting?

SPEAKER_00 0:53

Okay, well, thank you for having me, first of all. Fresh Co Painters specialize in interior and exterior painting. We work with uh residential and commercial customers. We do everything from interior painting, exterior painting, as well as cabinet refinish, epoxy floors, fences, decks, anything that really needs coating, we can help with.

SPEAKER_01 1:16

Isabel, I have to ask this: how did you get into a painting franchise? So I know you have a corporate background, a little bit. I mean, like you're just sitting around like your house one day and said, Yeah, I think painting is sexy and I see a career in that. I mean, like, how how did you get there?

SPEAKER_00 1:30

Okay, so I spent 24 years in corporate. I did customer service, account management, operations, kind of the different roles within the corporate ladder. And it was a great experience. I really love it. But I always had that piece of me that I wanted to be an entrepreneur. My parents, they're very always been entrepreneurs in different things. They try, make mistakes, and then it actually works. So I've been my whole life in that kind of relationship with being independent. The safety that you get at a job is kind of what keeps you being there. However, Diego, my husband, he's like, I would have been an entrepreneur. He'd had his construction company. So when I talked about doing something of myself, he said, Why don't you come work for me? And I said, Well, let me think about it. Let's see, you know, what is it that you do? Because I've been selling industrial equipment, which is very different, and all my connections were mostly overseas, so I was like, I don't have really people here that I can connect with. And he's like, No, it doesn't matter, we get leads, it works. And I started looking into having kind of a balance between being an entrepreneur and having the corporate side, and franchising was kind of the way that I thought, okay, I'm starting from the beginning. I didn't want to focus on everything out there, I wanted to just focus on one particular area and grow with that area. I didn't want to be doing flooring and decks and building kitchens. I wanted to be just in one area. Um, Diego really enjoyed painting. He says that that's the thing that most customers were very excited when he was done with uh with a project. So I really like that. We've had just paint in our house, and I was like super excited. It was like a whole new house. So I said, Yeah, this is the feeling that you want to deliver something that they're gonna really enjoy. So we started looking into franchises, and that's how we got there. I dare say she made painting sound sexy.

SPEAKER_01 3:26

You did it, I didn't think it could be done. Delivered, you know, you talked about you and Diego, which Shay and I both appreciate and love because we have worked with spouses and we know that it is quite the adventure. So I'm curious, like a lot of people talk about wanting to have a family business. What sort of experiences or challenges would you share as advice to someone listening?

SPEAKER_00 3:48

I will say the main thing is trust and being open to any comments. Kind of, we all can make mistakes. We're humans, so I have to be open to hear him say, hey, you know, you quote this wrong, or hey, I didn't like the way you presented this. And I also have to be able to tell him, hey, you may not be doing this right. He's very focused on the project and on the books, like this is what it says, and I'm more lenient and more to customer experience, which is too. Customers love him, but we gotta maintain that line of balance between make sure the customer is very happy and what did they actually pay for. So we gotta maintain that line, and that has been one of the things that he's very open for me to comment, and I'm very open for him to comment, and we trust each other. So when I quote a project or one of our estimators quotes a project, we know that we can pass that on and know that he's gonna be the best project manager, and that's what he's building with the crew as well. They know that they're trusted, that we have a high bar for them, and they know that and they appreciate because we also give back to them feedbacks and making sure they're taken care of. So I think that trust and being open to learn and continue to grow is the main thing when having a family business. We should run her for office. That was well put.

SPEAKER_01 5:12

It was well put. And I was gonna say, anyone listening who's not even in a family business can apply because she was explaining that, and I was thinking of earlier. Yeah, we were recording something, and Shay looked at me and said, That wasn't your best, do it again. But that's what you want in a good business partner, and if you have that spouse relationship, that's you know, fine, but really just in any partnership, that's what you want. But one of the things that you said, Isabel, is uh you talked about that line of keeping customers happy, but also doing the job, and a lot of people get stuck there because you feel like the whole the customer's always right isn't really not always right. So, how do you work through that?

SPEAKER_00 5:49

I think that uh experience comes in place here. Uh, I've deal with customers my whole life. So I basically applied the normal, you know, listen to them. What is it that you need? Um, not immediately jumping to conclusions or say that was not quoted or that was not included. I try to listen to them and see what is their expectation, because at the end of the day, the best thing to do is to keep that customer, because he's gonna that customer is gonna be your best referral, your best uh champion, your best the best person who's gonna talk about you and give you more opportunity. So you gotta manage that. If you're somebody saying, Well, I just want to get paid one more item, I want to say no and leave a bad impression, or do I want to make sure to help them out? It's within reason. Uh, because you have to make a profit too, and you have to make sure your uh crew is taken care of, that everybody's taking care of on the on the other side too. But I think that listening to customers, make sure they understand what they are asking for. And when you're listening and it's something you can do, you can generally do it. When it's something you can, I think that after you listen to them and make sure that you see exactly what they want, they're more open to say, you know what? Yeah, you're right. That was not we never talked about this. So I think that that's the main thing. Just kind of listen to understand before you answer, you know, no to a customer. So that maintains the relationship.

SPEAKER_01 7:20

That's very wise advice because no matter what business you're in, there's gonna be I call them angry villagers, right? They're gonna be people that, you know, for whatever reason, miscommunication, expectations, whatever. And as soon as you get defensive, it just it's the stiff arm, right? It doesn't really work. You just have to lean in and like what they say, seek to understand, and you have a very calm nature about you. She goes very mother, yeah. Like I can see that I wasn't like that my whole life. She doesn't like the boss lady. We can do this the easy way or the hard way. I can see that. So this is interesting to me. You're in customer service forever, right? This company, and you go out there, you and Diego are going, we're gonna go paint some stuff and make it sexy. I like this. Okay. And talk about the family dynamics because I know you have some small painters around, right? Yes.

SPEAKER_00 8:04

The dynamic is I can tell you that I had a better work-life balance when I was working in my previous life. I guess being there for so long, I was able to kind of learn to do things fast, and I was able to kind of finish what I was supposed to and forget about it when I got home. When you're your own boss, that doesn't happen. You're always working, I'm always thinking of what else can I do. Um, even looking in social media, your algorithms are just painting. So you see what everything is, you know, what everybody's doing in in regards to trends and things like that. So you're always thinking about painting. So when we come home, I'm very organized. So my schedule, I try to make sure that I have time for the kids. So there are things that I try to maintain. If there is an activity at school, my time is blocked. I'm going to that, I have to pick them up from school. And I have great support systems. I have my parents with me who they help a lot with it. I know that when I come home, I'm gonna be mom, who is the best chef, is the best uh organizer, is the best doing Legos, is for them, mom and dad are the best to do all of these things with. So we kind of I say, let me make sure I do at least, you know, 30 minutes with each of them and let them do whatever they want. So if you they want to play Legos, if you they wanna play with Toy Story, I go and play with them. But then we kind of put them to bed and then come back and wrap up the day and say, This is what is spending. I'm have a question about this quote, or Diego comes back and says, This pain is not going well, or you know, whatever it is. So we kind of organize ourselves the night before. And then that's kind of the routine because we start really early in the day and go to sleep really late. So I think that's one thing about being an entrepreneur that you don't have a way to stop because it's you the one who's responsible.

SPEAKER_01 9:54

And I appreciate your honesty, you know. I always show we're open from can to can't, you know, as long as you got the same office hours. I mean, because most people go into being self-employed, right? That journey to have more time and money, and it's to show up and do the things and coach the little league. I heard a great story, not to take away from that, but he said, I wanted to be an entrepreneur because my dad always showed up for every one of my baseball games. And he said, I know he worked really hard, just like he said, and we come back and he'd work at night, but you know, so it's that role model that you're already setting right now. So all this stuff you're doing right now will have an impact.

SPEAKER_00 10:26

I think that you lead by example, so that's the main thing, but it's the flexibility you get. I set my schedule, I set my calendar.

SPEAKER_01 10:33

What sort of things do you have you seen that your kids have picked up on from you and your husband being entrepreneurs?

SPEAKER_00 10:40

We had a cute story when I think two years ago, there was a Roswell event. It's kind of an art. And I was trying to get my name out there, so I asked, Hey, is there a way to get a booth there? And they were like, Yes, but you gotta make an activity for the kids or for adults. So I said, Yeah, I can make that happen. So we kind of set up a table and uh had some paint, some houses, and I had to bring my son, my oldest. So I told him, You gotta help me with the kids, you tell them what to do. And he was a six-year-old at that point. I was like, You're gonna tell them what to do. So you start doing it so they see you do it. So they started doing, and he was playing and being there. So at the end, I was giving out my business cards. I was kind of wrapping up, putting everything in the boxes and everything. And he goes and says, Give me a card. I'm like, Doesn't enough for playing? And he's like, I'm not playing. He takes the car and he goes to one of the event coordinators and he gave it to them and he said, Thank you for inviting me and give it to him. And he's wearing his fresh coat t-shirt and everything. So I thought it was cute, but I didn't think much of it. A year later, they invite me again and they talk about it. They put a message saying, I remember when your son came to us and gave us the car, it was the sweetest moment, and they invite us to come back, you know, the way that he's able to talk to people, which I think is is a great social skill to have.

SPEAKER_01 12:00

Now you know my we have kids on payroll. That's right. Your number one salesperson. There's a lot of kids right now gonna be out selling or something. That's right. And it's not the first time we've heard on the podcast of a kid getting jobs for the parents unintentionally, you know, just being them. And I love it, obviously for the normal reasons, but I love it because they're picking up on what they're seeing you and Diego do, how you interact, how you talk to people. Just your everyday some of these skills are caught, not taught. Like they're just watching you, and they're like, Oh, okay. Even if it's like that's teaching your son how to have confidence, without sitting down and having a conversation with him about how to be comfortable and confident talking to people. He sees mom just walk up, hand him a card, shake their hand, and smile. So they just think that's so powerful. That it sounds like you guys are having fun, doing some cool things for your clients. It sounds all good stuff, but you know, most entrepreneurial stories don't have like, well, we opened our doors and they lined up around the block and everything went smoothly. Right. So, what's something that you go, wow, I wish I would have known this sooner? Or if you could look back on those first couple years in business, you tap yourself on the shoulder and said, Isabel, heads up on this one. What would be your advice?

SPEAKER_00 13:13

I think that the maybe is kind of track your numbers. We need customers to grow. So you start getting a lot of different types of ideas in marketing, really. But and those are expensive. So you get one customer and you get excited, and then it kind of doesn't happen anymore, and you're like, Okay, I'm paying this, what happened? So I think that tracking your ROI is the main thing. What's your customer acquisition costs is the main thing for us. Not every marketing strategy is gonna work. So kind of see who is it that you're talking to and get that early on. Because I remember first people would say, Who's your referral? Who you're looking for today? And I will be anybody, I can pay for anybody, and that that doesn't translate the message. So I learned that I'd rather instead of doing that, I kind of pick who am I looking for, and I kind of guide that through my plan. So, in marketing, if I'm looking for residentials, I want to make sure that whatever I'm spending in marketing, I'm getting that return on investment. And if it's not working, cash those things right on time, give it some time, give it three months to work. But if it doesn't work, move on because I think that that's one of the pieces. So kind of understand those types of uh ideas where you can track what's your acquisition cost for customers, what's your ROI, what is it that you're trying to get? Not all neighborhoods may be something that you want to advertise for. So kind of find out what is it that you're gonna spend on, and not only spend, make sure that you are kind of going around those neighborhoods, make sure you are talking with people around the area, networking around the area so you get to know people around it. So it kind of all combines and and works for you.

SPEAKER_01 15:00

Absolutely. That's realign so much in knowing your numbers, your ROI. We just did a training on this yesterday about what is the growth or scaling, or you know, it's gonna obviously move the needle. What do the results have to look like for it to make sense, right? Exactly. When is it a good idea and when is it a bad idea? Yeah. And I think at first you're like, no, I just opened all money is good money. But really, I love that you talked about, you know, knowing your avatar. Great. Listen, Isabel, you have been absolutely a delight. And dare I say funny. Well, well, we wish you much luck, and now we all want to go and refresh and paint our houses instead. Yeah, absolutely. I'm looking around and wondering what we can do in the studio. Oh boy. Well, thank you so much. Thanks for joining us in a build for profit.

SPEAKER_00 15:43

Oh, thank you for having me. I really appreciate it.

SPEAKER_01 15:46

Elizabeth, do you know that when you're launching a franchise, one of the biggest expense and biggest risks typically is the build-out. I can see this. With missed deadlines, overrunning budgets and stuff like that, they can increase anywhere between 10 and 25% of unexpected expenses. Okay. That's where buildpoint USA comes in. Everything from pre-construction to the grand opening, they're with you every step of the way to make sure those things don't happen. Yeah, and they've got over 25 years of experience in building franchises nationally. So when you've got that much on the line, why would you trust it to anyone other than someone who's got a writing who can get it done? They've got the reputation, the proven expertise, and the national resources. So if you're ready to get your doors open faster with no unexpected surprises, go to buildpointusa.com or click in the show notes below to schedule your 30-minute discovery call with whether experts about your project. It kind of is. So again, buildpointusa.com. We'll see you in the next episode.